]]>The Department of Counseling and Pastoral Care (CPC) is piloting a new counseling clinic on the Asbury Theological Seminary Wilmore campus starting Feb. 13. Services are provided free of charge to Seminary students and families. The clinic is located in room 408 of Stanger Hall and is open Tuesday thru Thursday from 5-8 p.m.

Counseling students at Asbury Seminary are trained to integrate psychology and theology in a thoughtful and practical approach to personal concerns. The clinic allows counseling students to learn to balance that integration in a professional environment, and provide the community the opportunity to see a counselor who is theologically mindful, while addressing mental health needs.

“It is our department’s opportunity to provide a ministry to the school,” Dr. Russell Hall, Director of Training for the Department of Counseling and Pastoral Care, said. “We’re not only about sending students into the world to help others. We want to practically and immediately impact the campus community, both in the students we are training and students’ mental health and career/calling needs in the larger community.”

Student counselors, ready for field placement, will provide direct services to the Seminary community. These student-counselors work under the supervision of a licensed mental health professional, as they would at any location, to complete professional training.

To protect confidentiality, students will not be assigned a counselor they know. Counselors and clients will discuss ways to keep the sessions safe, and any interactions outside the clinic will be as anonymous as the client chooses.

“This is a good opportunity for these students to practice the counseling ethics they have learned in class,” Hall said. “The clients define what safety looks like for them, and then it is up to the counselor to maintain those boundaries in accordance with professional standards, something that all professional counselors provide for their clients.”

Counseling students are trained in a variety of therapeutic interventions to meet these mental health needs:

Depression and anxiety

Grief

Stress management

Marriage and family relationships

Career and Calling

Spiritual issues in the context of mental health

The CPC Clinic will continue to work with the Office of Community Formation to address the needs of students who are currently enrolled at the Seminary. Students coming to Community Formation in need of counseling services will be referred to the CPC Clinic first. Students in need of formal prayer ministry or spiritual direction will be referred to the Office of Community Formation. Students also have the choice to be referred to off-campus counselors.

]]>https://asburyseminary.edu/news/counseling-pastoral-care-clinic-opens-feb-13/feed/0Teddy Rayhttps://asburyseminary.edu/voices/teddy-ray/
https://asburyseminary.edu/voices/teddy-ray/#respondThu, 08 Feb 2018 21:04:07 +0000https://asburyseminary.edu/?p=26207Teddy Ray, Lead Pastor at Offerings First UMC in Lexington, Ky., had been pastoring for 10 years before he knew he was called to ministry. In fact, he took a year-long mission sabbatical to Spain and initially turned down the pastoral role at Offerings when he and his family were preparing to return to the… Read More »

]]>Teddy Ray, Lead Pastor at Offerings First UMC in Lexington, Ky., had been pastoring for 10 years before he knew he was called to ministry. In fact, he took a year-long mission sabbatical to Spain and initially turned down the pastoral role at Offerings when he and his family were preparing to return to the U.S. He thought that decision would bring relief. Instead, it brought nothing but grief.

“I lost my appetite, and I couldn’t sleep,” Teddy said. “I had this recurring Voice in my head: ‘What do you think you’re going to go do?’”

Until that point, Teddy would have said his work with the church was “right and good,” but wouldn’t have described it as calling. Over the month of discernment that followed, Teddy realized being a pastor wasn’t just “good,” it was what God had designed him to do.

“Our first calling is to Christ and to serve, and it doesn’t matter if you’re an ordained pastor,” Teddy said, referencing Os Guiness. “It’s about being a human being. When you were created, you were called to obedience. Our second calling, similar to Moses or Paul, is a special calling that God has given, not to just anyone, but to you.”

In 2004, Teddy, who had grown up in First UMC in Lexington, officially joined the staff, beginning the evening service at Offerings. Few people were interested. While most pastors would have moved to a different initiative, the lead pastor at First UMC encouraged Teddy to grow a healthy community.

Offerings then transitioned to morning services to provide another worship option within the First UMC family that also has communities at Andover and Downtown. Teddy graduated from Asbury Seminary in 2012 and continued to pastor at Offerings until 2013. During that time, he’d been reading Leviticus about taking a sabbatical year.

“I’m always one to bring home weird ideas and move on to a new idea the next day,” Teddy laughed. “But after five to six times, my wife asked if we should pray about it. I said, ‘No! That’s nuts!’”

But pray they did. In 2014, Teddy and his family took a mission sabbatical with One Mission Society to Spain. His position as pastor at Offerings was divided between two people and he thought he would transition to a completely non-pastoral role when he returned.

]]>https://asburyseminary.edu/voices/teddy-ray/feed/0Farminary: Asbury Seminary Expands its Reach with a Community Gardenhttps://asburyseminary.edu/news/farminary-asbury-seminary-expands-reach-community-garden/
https://asburyseminary.edu/news/farminary-asbury-seminary-expands-reach-community-garden/#respondTue, 30 Jan 2018 21:55:45 +0000https://asburyseminary.edu/?p=26133Three years after its opening, the Asbury Seminary Community Garden has bridged racial divides, taught children about nutrition, provided inexpensive organic food for students and created a safe and restful place for the whole community. Read more about it in the latest issue of Christianity Today!

]]>Three years after its opening, the Asbury Seminary Community Garden has bridged racial divides, taught children about nutrition, provided inexpensive organic food for students and created a safe and restful place for the whole community.

]]>https://asburyseminary.edu/news/farminary-asbury-seminary-expands-reach-community-garden/feed/0Irene Kabetehttps://asburyseminary.edu/voices/irenekabete/
https://asburyseminary.edu/voices/irenekabete/#respondThu, 18 Jan 2018 19:33:34 +0000https://asburyseminary.edu/?p=26026Irene Kabete promised God that she would never apply for a job, but always be available to do whatever He asked her. Even as a Ph.D. student, she is pursuing her God-given passion for evangelism as the Multicultural Pastor at St. Luke United Methodist Church in Lexington, Ky. In her role at St. Luke, she… Read More »

]]>Irene Kabete promised God that she would never apply for a job, but always be available to do whatever He asked her. Even as a Ph.D. student, she is pursuing her God-given passion for evangelism as the Multicultural Pastor at St. Luke United Methodist Church in Lexington, Ky.

In her role at St. Luke, she didn’t apply, but was invited. She co-pastored in the beginning. Over time, her role evolved as a preacher and coordinator with the pastors who lead the Swahili and Congolese worship services.

“My love for people [has] kept growing,” Irene said. “I love meeting people, sharing with them, praying for them. Prayer for me is a very significant tool to help people in their lives.”

Before answering God’s call to become a pastor, Irene worked as a nurse. As a pastor’s child, she never wanted to be a pastor. Often living in poor, rural locations, she often asked her dad, “Why are we even here?”

Irene pursued her own dream of nursing.

“I went through a Jonah process,” she said. “I wanted to be an usher or the church secretary, but God kept pestering me for a long time. I told my father I would rather die than be a pastor. I wanted my children to have shoes and food.”

Eventually, she surrendered to God’s call.

“Since then, I do not regret, for God has been so faithful to me,” Irene said.

Irene studied at United Theological College and the University of Zimbabwe before coming to the U.S. to study at Drew University and now at Asbury Seminary. She pastored in Zimbabwe from 1996-2004. In her second appointment, her parishioners, who had never had a female pastor before, addressed her husband as pastor and her as mom.

“The people had already rejected me before they even knew me,” Irene said. “But come Sunday their ‘pastor’ was sitting in the pews and ‘Mom’ was sitting on the stage.”

]]>https://asburyseminary.edu/voices/irenekabete/feed/0Asbury Theological Seminary Professor and Team Awarded Research Grant from Louisville Institutehttps://asburyseminary.edu/news/asbury-theological-seminary-professor-team-awarded-research-grant-louisville-institute/
https://asburyseminary.edu/news/asbury-theological-seminary-professor-team-awarded-research-grant-louisville-institute/#respondThu, 21 Dec 2017 18:46:57 +0000https://asburyseminary.edu/?p=25970Asbury Professor of Counseling and Pastoral Care, Dr. Steve Stratton and colleagues received a grant from the Louisville Institute to fund a longitudinal study looking at Christian college and university students negotiating the intersection of gender identity and faith. This grant represents collaboration not only between the Seminary and Asbury University, but also between Regent… Read More »

Asbury Professor of Counseling and Pastoral Care, Dr. Steve Stratton and colleagues received a grant from the Louisville Institute to fund a longitudinal study looking at Christian college and university students negotiating the intersection of gender identity and faith. This grant represents collaboration not only between the Seminary and Asbury University, but also between Regent University and Houghton College. The grant funds two years of quantitative and qualitative study of Christian undergraduates, while also supporting research assistants from among Asbury Seminary’s counseling program.

The study seeks to respectfully listen to students who entrust these researchers with their stories as they navigate the intersection of gender and spiritual identities. “We hope to hear the ‘voices’ of those students in Christian colleges and universities who are living, learning, and developing in the midst of faith-based academic communities,” Professor Steve Stratton said. “We want to understand the student experience, and we also want to hear about the influence of Christian community on this developmental process of Christian students.”

This study begins this team’s second longitudinal study looking at the sexual minority experiences on Christian college and university campuses. The first focused on the LGB experience among undergraduate Christians and will be published as an IVP Academic book entitled Listening to Sexual Minorities: A Study of Faith and Sexual Identity on Christian College Campuses in Spring 2018.

]]>https://asburyseminary.edu/news/asbury-theological-seminary-professor-team-awarded-research-grant-louisville-institute/feed/0Asbury Seminary Receives Major Lilly Granthttps://asburyseminary.edu/news/asbury-seminary-receives-major-lilly-grant/
https://asburyseminary.edu/news/asbury-seminary-receives-major-lilly-grant/#respondThu, 21 Dec 2017 14:22:57 +0000https://asburyseminary.edu/?p=25965Asbury Theological Seminary has received a $999,515 grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. in support of its Thriving in Ministry Initiative. The grant is the result of a two-phased application process. In the first phase, the Seminary applied for and received a planning grant of $50,000 to allow for exploration of potential participation in the initiative.… Read More »

Asbury Theological Seminary has received a $999,515 grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. in support of its Thriving in Ministry Initiative. The grant is the result of a two-phased application process. In the first phase, the Seminary applied for and received a planning grant of $50,000 to allow for exploration of potential participation in the initiative. Organizations which were awarded the planning grant were then eligible to apply for the implementation grant to execute their plans.

“This Lilly Endowment grant speaks directly to the heart of Asbury’s mission,” President Timothy C. Tennent said. “Especially as we seek to encourage women leaders and pastors to thrive in their ministries, as well as our ongoing commitment to banded discipleship which creates accountability and transformation among Christian leaders. We are delighted about the multi-year adventure which awaits us in these vital areas.”

Asbury Seminary’s project takes a unique approach that will unfold during a five-year research, piloting, and implementation period. The project will address issues facing clergy from three under-addressed groups and how they can thrive in the initial phases of their ministry. These groups include women pastors in their first five years, Latina/o bi-vocational pastors in their initial years of ministry, and church planters, particularly within multi-cultural settings, during their inaugural period of ministry.

Seminary leaders believe that pastors in these three groups can be served effectively within Asbury Seminary’s theology, ethos, and expertise through the historic Wesleyan practice of connecting small groups together in “bands,” to provide contexts for mutual encouragement, education and continuing peer relationships. The banded-discipleship groups will be facilitated through the NewRoom Bands web-based app through the Seedbed initiative of Asbury Seminary.

The first three years of the grant funding will be used to research and pilot-test the content and banded-discipleship to support the target clergy groups to “thrive in ministry.” During years four and five, the participants will transition to financially supporting the services.

The overall thriving initiative will be housed within the Provost’s Office and under the co-direction of Dr. David Gyertson, Associate Provost, and Dr. Brian Yeich, Assistant Provost. Leadership will be drawn from multiple departments and areas of the Seminary: the Alumni Office and Chapel Office for the women in ministry sub-group; the Asbury Latino Center based on Asbury Seminary’s Florida Dunnam Campus for the bi-vocational Latina/o ministry; and the areas of Leadership, Church Planting, the E. Stanley Jones School of World Mission and Evangelism, and the Counseling department for the church planting sub-group.

Lilly Endowment Inc. is a national private philanthropic foundation created in 1937 by three members of the Lilly family — J.K. Lilly Sr. and sons J.K. Jr. and Eli — through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. While those gifts remain the financial bedrock of the Endowment, the Endowment is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff and location. In keeping with the founders’ wishes, the Endowment supports the causes of community development, education and religion

Asbury Theological Seminary is an independent, non-denominational school of theology with campuses in Wilmore, Ky. and Orlando, Fla., as well as an online program and an extension site in Memphis, Tenn. Accredited by The Association of Theological Schools and the Southern Association of Schools – Commission on Colleges, Asbury Seminary has as its mission the preparation of men and women for a variety of ministries in the Wesleyan tradition.

]]>https://asburyseminary.edu/news/asbury-seminary-receives-major-lilly-grant/feed/0Kofi Amoatenghttps://asburyseminary.edu/voices/kofi-amoateng/
https://asburyseminary.edu/voices/kofi-amoateng/#respondWed, 20 Dec 2017 16:06:38 +0000https://asburyseminary.edu/?p=25945Kofi Amoateng, Founder and Director at Africa Gateway Missions, once helped to plant 13 churches in a week, and planted an additional 11 churches in three years. Africa Gateway Missions believes if they have at least five people gathered together, they can start a church. He brought that philosophy to the U.S., and during his… Read More »

]]>Kofi Amoateng, Founder and Director at Africa Gateway Missions, once helped to plant 13 churches in a week, and planted an additional 11 churches in three years. Africa Gateway Missions believes if they have at least five people gathered together, they can start a church. He brought that philosophy to the U.S., and during his time as a Ph.D. student has planted a growing Ghanaian congregation at Trinity Hill United Methodist Church in Lexington, Ky.

In 2008, Kofi discovered the Ghana Evangelism Committee report that indicated there were 14,000 villages in Ghana where Jesus had not been preached. Kofi, already a minister in the Ghanaian Methodist Church, took this statement as a challenge and founded Africa Gateway Missions in response.

“There are churches we planted with established denominations,” Kofi said. “The denominations worked with us to plant churches, and there were villages without churches where we saw the need ourselves, and without help from any denomination, we went ahead and planted churches.”

From 2008-2012, Africa Gateway Missions has planted 11 thriving churches. Each pastor receives 50 pounds per month, which is about $70-$75 in the U.S.

“I always work with people who work, not for what they get, but what they can do for the Lord and other people,” Kofi said.

Kofi’s life is a testimony to someone who lives to help others. Although his father only attended church on Christmas and Easter, his father’s secretary took him to church each Sunday at Agona Swedru in Ghana. Kofi experienced his call to ministry in a dream when he was 12 years old.

In his dream, the sky rained fire, instead of water. People everywhere tried to move to safety, but wherever they went, there was fire. He awoke startled.

“Is this how it’s going to be on the judgment day?” Kofi asked. “Then, I need to warn people.”

From that point on, Kofi started preaching about Christ’s return in the market, on buses and community centers. As a teenager, Kofi left the faith, but returned when his future wife invited him to church.

“I thought, ‘If that is the only way I’m going to get her to become my friend, why not?’” Kofi said.

Kofi later joined the Wesley Evangelical Society and started planting churches with that group for the Methodist Church. However, he struggled with sexual addiction and affairs.

Asbury Theological Seminary seeks to equip 1,000 new church planters by the year 2023. To accomplish that, Asbury Seminary offers a Master of Arts [Intercultural Studies] with specialization in Church Planting, hosted a Global Summit in Manchester, England, and has launched Church Planting Institutes (CPI) in Houston, Montreal, Memphis, Washington D.C., and Orlando.

Master of Arts [Intercultural Studies] with specialization in Church Planting

The Master of Arts [Intercultural Studies] with specialization in Church Planting is now offered in a 48-hour format and can be completed in as few as three years. Two-thirds of the classes are available online and the remaining third can be completed with three, one-week, on-campus intensives, spread throughout the degree. Sixty-one students around the world are currently participating in this degree program.

The Church Planting specialization prioritizes contextual learning, academic excellence, and networking within your cohort and around the world.

We are actively recruiting students for the next cohort of students beginning fall 2018. If you have interest, please contact Virgina McNutt at virginia.mcnutt@asburyseminary.edu.

Global Summit

In the summer of 2017, 60 leaders from 21 countries gathered at Nazarene Theological College in Manchester, England, to collaborate and experience the global voices of church planting.

“The Global Summit offered a fantastic opportunity to learn collaboratively with global leaders in church planting,” Dr. Gregg Okesson, Dean, E. Stanley Jones School of World Mission and Evangelism, said. “The case study approach facilitated the cross-fertilization of learning. The Summit, likewise, led to new friendships around the world. For me, the Summit has been one of the highlights of my time at Asbury.”

Latino/a Church Planting

Church Planting Institute

The Church Planting Institute (CPI) offers a Certificate in Church Multiplication that can be completed in one to two years without leaving your ministry context. As part of CPI, more than 300 leaders have experienced dynamic training in the areas of multiplying disciples, leaders, ministries and contextualized churches.

This certificate consists of six modules, offered in one or two-day intensive formats at a regional learning site. CPI has already launched sites in Kenya, Brazil and India and began in North America this fall. Future locations include Montreal, Memphis, Washington D.C., and Orlando.

“We are going to touch people who would never go to Seminary and are building bridges for potential students,” Winfield Bevins, Director of the Church Planting Initiative, said. “Our goal is to offer regional and global hubs to train thousands of leaders three times per year.”

The first of the North America trainings began in October with more than 75 Hispanic leaders gathered on the Florida Dunnam campus to learn from global leaders. Topics discussed include the importance of embracing the work of the Holy Spirit, the Principles of Movement, and the Heart of a Leader.

“We are excited to partner with Disciple 21 and Vida Nueva Network for such a powerful training,” Bevins said. “We believe that their apostolic vision and leadership will lead to a lasting global impact for the kingdom of God!”

For more information, visit asburychurchplanting.com. For further questions, please call 859.858.2278 or email church.planting@asburysemianry.edu.

]]>https://asburyseminary.edu/news/asbury-seminary-equips-1000-church-planters/feed/0Dr. Tennent Receives Betty Price Community Service Awardhttps://asburyseminary.edu/news/dr-tennent-receives-betty-price-community-service-award/
https://asburyseminary.edu/news/dr-tennent-receives-betty-price-community-service-award/#respondTue, 12 Dec 2017 13:53:19 +0000https://asburyseminary.edu/?p=25888The City of Wilmore awarded Dr. Timothy C. Tennent, President and Professor of World Christianity at Asbury Seminary, and Dr. Sandra Gray, President of Asbury University, the Betty Price Community Service Award at the conclusion of Wilmore’s Old-Fashioned Christmas on Dec. 2. This award annually recognizes positive, strong and compassionate leaders within the Wilmore community.… Read More »

The City of Wilmore awarded Dr. Timothy C. Tennent, President and Professor of World Christianity at Asbury Seminary, and Dr. Sandra Gray, President of Asbury University, the Betty Price Community Service Award at the conclusion of Wilmore’s Old-Fashioned Christmas on Dec. 2. This award annually recognizes positive, strong and compassionate leaders within the Wilmore community. Both Dr. Tennent and Dr. Gray received a plaque with a key to the city.

The Seminary and University are actively involved in the Wilmore community through concerts and seminars. They also have organized volunteer efforts and fundraising events, as well as contributed to the local fire department and other infrastructure projects in Wilmore and Jessamine County.

Dr. Tennent has been president of Asbury Theological Seminary since 2009. After several years as a United Methodist Pastor, he transitioned to theological education as a faculty member at Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary for more than a decade before becoming president of Asbury Seminary.

“The nominations allow us to see the fruit of a ‘well-trained, sanctified, Spirit-filled evangelistic ministry spreading scriptural holiness throughout the world,” Tammy Cessna, Director of Alumni and Church Relations at Asbury Seminary, said.

Dale is Founding and Lead Pastor of Community of Hope – a United Methodist Congregation. Community of Hope is a multi-site campus serving Palm Beach County Florida. Community of Hope started with eight people in the Locke’s living room in the fall of 1996, and currently worships in six-weekend services in two locations each weekend. Weekend attendance averages approximately 2000 people, with more than 1700 in weekly small groups.

In 2016 and 2017, Community of Hope was named the second fastest growing United Methodist Church in the U.S.

Dale is also an Elder in the Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church.

“I’m humbled to be chosen for this recognition, especially when I consider past honorees, and so many of my friends also deserving,” Dale said. “My time as Asbury Seminary impacted my life in immeasurable ways, and remains one of the greatest seasons of my life. When I consider God’s blessing upon our church, I know much of this is due to the amazing team I work with, many of whom are Asbury graduates.”

Dale is married to the former Beth Ann Moore. The two met at Asbury Seminary in Wilmore where Beth also received her Master’s Degree in Christian Education in 1988. They have two children, Haley Anne, who is a current M. Div. Student at Asbury Seminary and will graduate in May 2018; and Shelley Susannah, who is in her senior year as an Advertising Major at Texas Tech University.

As a native Floridian, Dale enjoys going to the beach, woodworking, running, and rooting in vain for the Florida Gators and the Atlanta Braves.

The Distinguished Alumni recipient is nominated by peers who have seen and been influenced by the ministry of an Asbury Seminary alumni. Nominations are solicited through the Alumni Link and Facebook. A committee composed of 12 alumni council members, staff and faculty receive all nominations and vote for their top choices. The award is designed to honor alumni who, in both their personal and public ministries, exhibit the Seminary’s values of a theologically educated, sanctified, spirit-filled, evangelistic ministry that spreads scriptural holiness across the world.